An administrator at the West Springfield Housing Authority has filed a federal lawsuit against her employers, contending she was denied a promotion to executive director because of her gender and nationality.

Marilyn Felix, of Springfield, the authority's Section 8 administrator who was hired in 2004, filed the suit in U.S. District Court in Springfield against C. David Crosier, the chairman of the authority, plus four commissioners of the authority and the authority itself. She alleged violations of federal civil rights laws and state anti-discrimination laws.

C. David Crosier

Crosier said Wednesday that the public housing agency was not aware of the suit, which was filed on Monday. Willie J. Thomas has been the authority's executive director since November 2010, he said.

"I'm not going to make any comment," Crosier said about the lawsuit.

In the 13-page lawsuit, Felix, a Puerto Rican and U.S. citizen, says she was passed over for the positions of assistant executive director and then acting executive director in 2009 in favor of Kirk M. Jasko, who she alleged was unqualified.

Jasko, now the operations manager at the authority, declined comment on Wednesday.

Felix and her lawyer could not be reached for comment.

According to the lawsuit, Felix, who had 20 years experience in housing before she started at the authority, applied for executive director in 2009 when William Teece retired.

At that time, she said in the suit, Crosier told her that she would not be granted an interview because she was not certified as a public housing manager.

She said she would take a certification course but she said she never got a definitive answer when she asked if the authority would pay for the courses. Instead, the authority paid for Jasko to attend classes and sit for the certification test, she contended.

Jasko was appointed assistant executive director, though at the time he had no experience or qualifications in the area of public housing administration, the lawsuit said. Since at least 2004, the assistant's position had been vacant, the suit said.

The assistant's job was never posted or advertised before the authority's board voted to appoint him in May 2009, the suit said. No one made her aware the position would be filled, the suit said.

The authority did agree to pay for her certification course. But Felix did not receive an interview for executive director, even though she was scheduled for the course, the suit said. She passed the course and obtained her certification.

In late 2009, Jasko was effectively given the position of executive director, receiving an auto for business and personal use, the executive director's salary and the office, the lawsuit said. Jasko referred to himself as "acting" executive director, the suit said.

The discriminatory conduct of the authority caused Felix to suffer loss of employment benefits, mental anguish and humiliation and emotional distress, the suit said.

In the lawsuit, Felix asks the court to assure that the authority end policies and practices that foster discrimination against Puerto Ricans and females. She also seeks compensation and punitive damages, citing the "grave harm" she is suffering as a result of the alleged discrimination, according to the suit.